U.S. patent number 10,030,810 [Application Number 14/855,409] was granted by the patent office on 2018-07-24 for pin bracket and valve assembly employing the same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. Invention is credited to Michael Alan Brockway.
United States Patent |
10,030,810 |
Brockway |
July 24, 2018 |
Pin bracket and valve assembly employing the same
Abstract
The present invention in one or more embodiments provides a
valve assembly which includes a valve shaft, and a valve head
extending from the valve shaft, wherein the valve head defines
first and second through-apertures extending along a width
direction and a slot extending along a height direction, a
longitudinal cross-section of the first and second
through-apertures being partially received within the slot.
Inventors: |
Brockway; Michael Alan
(Pinckney, MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
(Dearborn, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
58160696 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/855,409 |
Filed: |
September 16, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20170074416 A1 |
Mar 16, 2017 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16M
13/02 (20130101); F16K 31/16 (20130101); F15B
1/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F16M
13/02 (20060101); F16K 31/16 (20060101); F15B
1/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;251/282,231,279
;192/219.5 ;74/473.11 ;180/370 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Paquette; Ian
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Brooks Kushman P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A valve assembly, comprising: a valve end defining first and
second through-apertures and a vertically-extending slot of an
open-loop in cross-section; and a pin bracket including a bracket
body with first and second cover panels and a waist panel
positioned there-between, and first and second pins connected to
the waist panel, wherein the first and second pins are to be
received through the first and second through-apertures of the
valve end at an assembly position.
2. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein a longitudinal length of
the vertically-extending slot is greater than a cross-sectional
width of at least one of the first and second
through-apertures.
3. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second
cover panels respectively include first and second cover apertures
to align with the slot of the valve end so as to collectively
receive there-through a lever.
4. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first
and second pins includes a groove to engage the waist panel.
5. The valve assembly of claim 4, wherein the at least one of the
first and second pins is rotatable about the groove relative to the
waist panel.
6. A pin bracket and valve end assembly comprising: a valve end
defining first and second through-apertures, wherein the valve end
further defines a slot extending along a height direction, and
wherein the first and second cover panels respectively include
first and second cover apertures to align with the slot of the
valve end so as to collectively receive there-through a lever; and
a pin bracket comprising: a bracket body including first and second
cover panels and a waist panel positioned there-between; and first
and second pins connected to the waist panel, wherein the first and
second pins are to be received through the first and second
through-apertures of the valve end at an assembly position.
7. The pin bracket and valve end assembly of claim 6, wherein at
least one of the first and second pins includes a groove to engage
the waist panel.
8. The pin bracket and valve end assembly of claim 7, wherein the
at least one of the first and second pins is rotatable about the
groove relative to the waist panel.
9. A valve assembly, comprising: a valve shaft; a valve end
extending from the valve shaft, wherein the valve end defines first
and second through-apertures extending along a width direction and
a slot extending along a height direction; and a pin bracket to be
attached to the valve end, the pin bracket including a bracket body
with first and second cover panels and a waist panel positioned
there-between, and first and second pins connected to the waist
panel, wherein the first and second pins are to be received through
the first and second through-apertures of the valve end at an
assembly position, wherein at least one of the first and second
pins includes a groove to engage the waist panel.
10. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein the slot is of an
open-loop in cross-section.
11. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein the slot is of a
closed-loop in cross-section.
12. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein the first and second
cover panels respectively include first and second cover apertures
to align with the slot of the valve end so as to collectively
receive there-through a lever.
13. The valve assembly of claim 9, wherein a longitudinal length of
the slot is greater than a cross-sectional width of at least one of
the first and second through-apertures.
14. The valve assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the
first and second pins is rotatable about the groove relative to the
waist panel.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a pin bracket and a valve assembly
employing the same.
BACKGROUND
Valve and lever designs are often employed to provide fluid flow
control in certain operating systems. For instance, publication US
2013/0338890A1 discloses a control device for automatic
transmission, where a manual valve is mechanically coupled to a
select lever, and where the manual valve may form an oil path to
discharge the oil in the forward/reverse direction depending upon
travel or non-travel range.
SUMMARY
In one or more embodiments, a valve assembly includes a valve
shaft, and a valve head extending from the valve shaft, wherein the
valve head defines first and second through-apertures extending
along a width direction and a bore extending along a height
direction, a longitudinal cross-section of the first and second
through-apertures being partially received within the bore.
The bore may be of an open-loop or a closed-loop in
cross-section.
A longitudinal length of the bore may be greater than a
cross-sectional width of at least one of the first and second
through-apertures.
The valve assembly may further include a pin bracket to be attached
to the valve head, the pin bracket including a bracket body with
first and second cover panels and a waist panel positioned
there-between, and first and second pins connected to the waist
panel, wherein the first and second pins are to be received through
the first and second through-apertures of the valve head at an
assembly position.
At least one of the first and second pins may include a groove to
engage the waist panel. The at least one of the first and second
pins may be rotatable about the groove relative to the waist
panel.
The first and second cover panels may respectively include first
and second cover apertures to align with the bore of the valve head
so as to collectively receive there-through a lever.
One or more advantageous features as described herein are believed
to be readily apparent from the following detailed description of
one or more embodiments when taken in connection with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference is now made to the one or more embodiments illustrated in
greater detail in the accompanying drawings and described below
wherein:
FIG. 1 illustratively depicts a valve assembly according to one or
more embodiments as employed in a transmission control unit;
FIG. 2A illustratively depicts an enlarged perspective view of the
valve assembly referenced in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2B illustratively depicts an alternative enlarged perspective
view of the valve assembly referenced in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 illustrative depicts an alternative perspective view of the
valve assembly referenced in FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B;
FIG. 4 illustratively depicts an alternative perspective view of a
pin bracket of the valve assembly referenced in FIG. 1, FIG. 2A,
FIG. 2B and FIG. 3;
FIG. 5A illustratively depicts an alternative frontal view of a
waist of the pin bracket referenced FIG. 3 and FIG. 4;
FIG. 5B illustratively depicts a side view of a pin to be assembled
to the waist referenced in FIG. 5A; and
FIG. 5C illustratively depicts a side view of another pin to be
assembled to the waist referenced in FIG. 5A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE OR MORE EMBODIMENTS
As referenced in the FIGS., the same reference numerals may be used
herein to refer to the same parameters and components or their
similar modifications and alternatives. These parameters and
components are included as examples and are not meant to be
limiting. The drawings referenced herein are schematic and
associated views thereof are not necessarily drawn to scale.
As detailed herein elsewhere, the present invention in one or more
embodiments is believed to be advantageous in at least providing a
pin bracket and a valve assembly employing the same via which a
lever may be relatively better center-aligned to a valve for
improved positional and operational controls. The pin bracket and
the valve assembly may be used in any suitable lever control
systems such as transmission control systems and any other suitable
hydraulic and/or mechanical control systems.
As further detailed herein elsewhere, the pin bracket may be
designed and positioned such that the lever contacts only the pin
bracket and its associated pins at an assembly position and does
not necessarily need to contact the valve shaft itself, accordingly
the valve shaft may include or be formed of a material relatively
less sturdy and hence more cost efficient, such as a material
including aluminum.
In one or more embodiments, and further in view of FIG. 1, FIG. 2A,
FIG. 2B and FIG. 3, a valve assembly generally shown at 100
includes a valve shaft 202, and a valve head 204 extending from the
valve shaft 202, wherein the valve head 204 defines first and
second through-apertures 314, 324 extending along a width direction
W and a bore 234 extending along a height direction H, the first
and second through-apertures 314, 324 being at least partially
received within the bore 234. The valve shaft 202 may at least be
partially received within a housing 230.
The valve assembly 100 may further include a pin bracket 206 to be
attached to the valve head 204, the pin bracket 206 including a
bracket body 306 with first and second cover panels 316, 326 and a
waist panel 336 positioned there-between, and first and second pins
346, 356 connected to the waist panel 336, wherein the first and
second pins 346, 356 are to be received through the first and
second through-apertures 314, 324 of the valve head 204 at an
assembly position such as the position illustratively depicted in
FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B.
As detailed herein, the valve assembly 100 is believed to impart
improved operational control to a lever 110 to be received through
the bore 234 of the valve head 204. The valve assembly 100 may be
employed in any suitable operational environment, with FIG. 1
illustratively depicting a non-limiting example of such an
environment. For instance, and referring back to FIG. 1, the valve
assembly 100 may be in communication with a main control assembly
140 of a transmission unit 190 including a number of solenoids 150,
where a positional change of the lever 110 as controlled by the
valve assembly 100 may be translated to an operational change of an
output shaft 170 which in turn is connected to a park gear 180 and
a park rod 160.
Referring back to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the bore 234 may be of an
open-loop in cross-section such that the valve head 204 defines an
opening 244 via which an object such as the lever 110 may move into
or out of the bore 234 along a longitudinal direction L, when the
pin bracket 206 is not engaged to the valve head 204. This
configuration may be beneficial in that the lever 110 may be
completely disengaged from the valve head 204 along the
longitudinal direction L, without having to move along the height
direction H.
In an alternative, and further in view of FIG. 3, the bore 234 may
be of a closed-loop in cross-section, without any side openings
such as the opening 244 illustratively depicted in FIG. 2A or FIG.
2B. This configuration may be beneficial in that a lateral
disengagement of the lever 110 along the longitudinal direction L
away from the valve head 202 may be effectively discouraged and the
lever 110 may move relative to the valve head 204 along the height
direction H to effectuate a disengagement.
A longitudinal length L1 of the slot 234 may be greater than a
cross-sectional width L2 or L3 of the first and second
through-apertures 314, 324. Accordingly, this configuration helps
ensure that the lever 110 be positioned within a space within the
slot 234 that is defined between the first and second pins 346, 356
in an assembly position. The beauty and benefit associated with
design is believed to be that, with this configuration, the lever
110 is to either contact an outer surface of the first pin 346 or
the second pin 356, or remain spaced apart from the outer surface.
Because the outer surface is a convex surface, the lever 110 is to
contact the outer surface with a relatively minimum of surface
contact and therefore undesirable surface retention imparted onto
the lever 234 is believed to be kept at a reasonable minimum. This
in turn helps centerline the lever 110 as it is received within the
slot 234 and between the pins 346, 356.
Referring back to FIG. 3, at least one of the first and second pins
346, 356 may include a groove to engage the waist panel 336. For
instance, the second pin 356 includes a groove 370 to engage the
waist panel 336 such that the second pin 356 may be rotatable about
the groove 370 relative to the waist panel 356 at a disengagement
position such as the position illustratively depicted in FIG.
3.
The first pin 346 may similarly include a groove to engage the
waist panel 336, like the groove 370 referenced in relation to the
second pin 356. In certain embodiments, the first pin 346 may be
made stationary relative to the waist panel 336, optionally via
welding, such that movement of the first pin 346 relative to the
waist panel 336 is not purposefully encouraged. The first pin 346
being configured as stationary and the second pin 356 being
configured as movable relative to the waist panel 336 is believed
to impart beneficial amount of flexibility and rigidity to the pin
bracket 206 as a whole relative to the valve head 204 to achieve a
desirable fit and engagement. Of course, a reverse arrangement may
be desirable in certain instances where the first pin is made
movable and the second pin is made stationary relative to the waist
panel 336.
One of the first pin 346 and the second pin 356 may be configured
as a floating pin such as a floating pin 556 referenced in FIG. 5B
to be received via an elongated receiving aperture 570 for
positional change along direction S as desirable. The other one of
the first pin 346 and the second pin 356 may be configured as a
fixed pin such as a fixed pin 546 referenced in FIG. 5C to be
received via a receiving aperture 572 as a relatively stationary
fixture. Both of the receiving apertures 570 and 572 may be
similarly positioned on a waist 536 which is an alternative
depiction of the waist 336 of FIG. 3 and the waist 436 of FIG.
4.
Referring back to FIG. 3 and further in view of FIG. 2A and FIG.
2B, the second cover panel 326 may include a second cover aperture
352 to align with the slot 234 of the valve head 204 so as to
collectively receive there-through the lever 110. Similarly, and
dependent upon the protruding length of the lever 110, the first
cover panel 316 may include also a first cover aperture 342 to
allow for a portion of the lever 110 to pass through. However, in
the event the lever 110 is relatively short in its protruding
portion, the first cover aperture 342 may not be necessarily.
The first and second cover panels 316, 326 function, in
collaboration with the waist panel 336, to firmly maintain the
first and second pins 346, 356 relative to the valve head 204. For
this functionality, suitable alteration to the structure and
configuration of the first and second cover panels 316, 326, and
even to the waist panel 336, may be accommodated within the spirit
of the present invention in one or more embodiments. For instance,
and as illustratively depicted in FIG. 4, a pin bracket 406 as an
alternative to the pin bracket 206 referenced in FIG. 3 includes a
first cover panel collectively shown at 416, a second cover panel
collectively shown at 426, and a wait panel 436 positioned
there-between. Unlike the first and second cover panels 316, 326
referenced in FIG. 3, the first and second cover panels 416, 426
are discontinuous in their respective outer contour or outer
perimeter. In the illustration shown in FIG. 4, the first and
second cover panels 416, 426 may each be configured as including
two spaced apart legs for the purposes of securing the pin bracket
406 onto the valve head 204, while allowing the lever 110 to be
received through the slot 234.
In one or more embodiments, the present invention as set forth
herein is believed to have overcome certain challenges associated
with bracket shaft designs. However, one skilled in the art will
readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying
drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and
variations can be made therein without departing from the true
spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following
claims.
* * * * *